Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Have We Arrived in Asheville…

or Portlandia?

“Toward the southern end of the intensely scenic Blue Ridge Parkway…lies a small city in the midst of the Appalachian Mountains. It's perhaps one of the more liberal towns below the Mason-Dixon Line, with more hipsters than hillbillies. But they all meld into an eclectic culture with a tagline that's familiar to Portlanders: ‘Asheville: Where normal is weird.’

“With this similar motto comes a similarly laid-back attitude, artsy culture, respect for the land, and big thirst for craft brews. This is a town with a musician on every corner and a dog in every lap, and for a population of less than 90,000, there's an astounding abundance of restaurants, cafes, and breweries to put Asheville's scene on the nation's radar” (Andrea Slonecker at oregonlive.com).

It was with some trepidation that we arrived in Asheville. Not because the city’s politics are that different from our own, but because I, at least, was dreading the kind of superior earnestness that we found in Portland. But I will say in advance that over our two week stay we found delightfully friendly people and a casual atmosphere that made for a fun visit.

With a long range weather forecast calling for rain almost every day, we decided to take advantage of what was to be a clear morning and go out for breakfast. So we headed on out to Sunny Point Café in West Asheville—a restaurant that appears on all “Best of Asheville” lists.

Sunny Point is located in “What used to be known as ‘Worst Asheville’, (but) now attracts young people who are fixing up neglected Craftsman-style cottages and bungalows, having chosen smaller floor plans with personality and a yard in a walkable community over sprawling houses in designer-planned neighborhoods. West Asheville teems with parents pushing strollers and relaxed retirees out walking their dogs. The community’s resurrection came about after a downturn that quite literally put West Asheville on the wrong side of the tracks. West Asheville is one of the hottest things going in Asheville right now. It’s where much of Asheville’s funkiness still rings true…” (smliv.com).

It was a Saturday and there was already a considerable line when we arrived for a late breakfast. And many of those waiting spent the time on their hand-held devices. (Can’t this couple just talk to each other?)

But I can’t say that we hadn’t been warned. “Be prepared to wait because the secret’s out and everyone in town knows that Sunny Point has a good breakfast…. Don’t worry, you can grab a cup o’ joe and get the caffeine flowing and in nice weather you can enjoy a stroll through the garden. What garden? Well, Sunny Point has an adjacent garden that helps provide the nutritious local products they use to create their delicious meals” (theashevillefoodie.com).

“Suffice it to say that no matter how much I’d read about the family owned and operated Sunny Point Café nothing had prepared me for what I would find early Saturday morning, the large culinary garden in full bloom, children playing on the restaurant’s playground,

and families waiting in line with nary a parking space to be found thus relegating me to a space down the block which afforded me a long, pleasant walk through the aforementioned gardens…” (endoedibles.com).

So we, along with what seemed to be a never diminishing crowd, took seats in the garden. It is a good thing that a thick canopy of trees hung over the waiting area because it soon began to rain. (So much for the weather forecast.)

Not hard but enough for Chuck to go scurrying for even more cover in order to protect his camera.

But it was while waiting that I noticed a small sign explaining the café’s permeable parking lot. What is a permeable parking lot? It is one that prevents rain runoff and promotes absorption into the ground.

The café’s is constructed of tiles with square outs that are set over a bed of small stones which is set over a bed of larger stones.

We told the hostess that we would take the first table available, so we were led to the small indoor dining room

rather than being seated on the open--and full--patio.

I knew what I wanted to order—Sunny Point’s version of Biscuits and Gravy made with house-made angel biscuits (a cross between a biscuit and a yeast roll) topped with locally-sourced sausage and herb gravy.

I must admit that the biscuits didn’t blow me away. I thought that they were a bit heavy. But the gravy was another matter. This was sausage gravy made the right way with the white sauce tasting of sage and rosemary plus a bit of red pepper flake for good measure.

My plate was to come with two eggs which I didn’t want so subbed them for a side of stone ground chipotle cheese grits. As I was eating them I was envisioning them made into a grit cake.

While we were waiting, Chuck noticed that a number of plates coming from the kitchen were crowned with a tower of tortilla chips. These were the Huevos Rancheros—black beans served with chorizo sausage, feta cheese, roasted tomatillo salsa, and herb tossed red skin spuds topped with two eggs, cilantro crema, and crisp tortilla strips. What we didn’t know was this dish was a finalist on Good Morning America's “best breakfast” contest.

Looks like a lot of food, doesn’t it? It was and he muscled his way through to the end. But he didn’t want any supper that evening and just raided his cache of snacks (pistachios, sesame crackers, and other items).

Sunny Point Café was a great way to start our stay and earns the full 5.0 Addies. Now we need to figure how to work around the rain.

To review the role of Adler and the Addie rating system, read the November 14, 2011 blog.

About Me

We are two retirees--Chuck, 64, and Kate, 63--who decided to travel the U.S. On June 13, 2008, we began our long-talked-about travels by heading south from our home in Pennsylvania in our Ford 550 and 38’ New Horizons fifth wheel.
Our travel aim is to meet people and go at least "knee-deep" into the culture of several communities. To learn what is important in the lives of the residents of the towns, villages, and farms of America is our primary interest.
When not learning about what people do, we will be (1) sampling the foods that help people do what needs to be done and (2) listening to the music of their culture.
A neighborhood joint or local hall serving liquid refreshment and featuring a jam session with local musicians . . . well, it just doesn't get any better.
We welcome comments, questions, or suggestions of people to meet, places to visit, and "don't miss" neighborhood joints for food and/or music. Drop us a note at chuckandkateschrader@gmail.com